Poll: Which Ford? (9/30/2023)

Don't care for the Ford '42 - '48.  Much prefer the '49 up.

The 48 was the end of an era whereas the 49 was the beginning of an era. I pick the 48 because it was a well built solid car and the 49 had many quality control problems. Kudos to Ford for having fixed most of the problems with the 50 models.

I love the look of the '48 Ford coupe but old tech; the '49 was a big step into the future by comparison.  There were QC issues that year as they rushed the car into production but I give it the nod this time.

'49 - "The Car That Saved Ford".  According to  Leon Mandel's 'American Cars' (based around the Harrah Collection) Ford's finances were in such a parlous state after the war that the accounts department had an average total for invoices and credits and simply weighed the paper sheets to compile their ledgers. All that changed with Richard Caleal's 1949 Ford.

As it was then, the '49 is light years ahead in my vote.

Posted by: @charles-rockett

'49 - "The Car That Saved Ford".  According to  Leon Mandel's 'American Cars' (based around the Harrah Collection) Ford's finances were in such a parlous state after the war that the accounts department had an average total for invoices and credits and simply weighed the paper sheets to compile their ledgers. All that changed with Richard Caleal's 1949 Ford.

I read that Ford's financially precarious position was largely a result of old Henry's stubborn resistance to change and that these much needed changes moved forward quickly after his death.  I seem to recall that the '49 Mercury was actually initially intended to be their Ford but this was changed at the 11th hour, so to speak; hence the rush of the newly styled Ford into production.  As most of us know, the Mercury to this point was pretty much a tarted up Ford so separate designs for both of these Ford products was a very bold, wise and timely decision.

Here are some interesting Ford archive shots taken through the design competition process.....

This one pic of yours isn't too far off what the Canadian 1949 Meteor looked like.

@jack-dodds Interestingly, we see the Mercury grille in your Meteor pic' and in this new image we may also detect the sharp vertical line at centre of the Meteor's hood which did not make it onto the new US Ford.

Two very different styles, love both. A longtime fan of the '41 - 48 Ford so it gets my vote.